Daegu galbi restaurant, marinated half-plate and naengmyeon: Jangjak

Today I'm introducing a Jongno, Daegu restaurant I love! It's actually near my neighborhood so I go a lot — the fresh galbi (rib meat) here is so good. The staff grill everything for you and are super friendly, so my satisfaction level is always high. Here's my review of Jangjak Saenggalbi, formerly Byeokdol Saenggalbi haha 😆

Where Jangjak Saenggalbi Jongno Main Branch is, and where to park

It's located about halfway down the Jongno restaurant street, right across from Yeongsaengdeok! If you're taking public transit, get off at Jungangno Station on Line 1; if you're driving, you'll need to use a nearby paid parking lot.

I'm not sure why they keep changing the name — Ubokgeum Saenggalbi, then Byeokdol Saenggalbi, now Jangjak Saenggalbi — but no matter the name, the taste has stayed exactly the same~~

Inside Jangjak Saenggalbi: the 2nd floor when the 1st is full

The inside spans the 1st and 2nd floors, and when I visited, the 1st floor was completely full, so we got seated on the 2nd! There were fewer people up there, so honestly I liked the 2nd floor even more haha

What we ordered: marinated galbi half-plate and pork bakpo fresh galbi

Since I've tried everything at my neighborhood location, I ordered my favorites! A lot of people go for the byeokdol (brick-cut) galbi since it's the most famous, but honestly, pork bakpo fresh galbi is my real pick. It's so moist, savory, and just insanely good,,, oh but of course the brick-cut galbi is delicious too!!!

Order — Charcoal marinated galbi half-plate / Pork bakpo fresh galbi x2 / Water naengmyeon / Jjagyechi / Rice

Since it was my partner's first time here, I ordered a mix of brick-cut galbi and pork fresh galbi!

Banchan and the free cypress-steamed dish

The basic side dishes come out really nicely arranged too, right? There's a chili paste and something like a perilla leaf paste — those two eaten together with the meat are seriously a game changer 👍🏻

And then there's the free cypress-steamed dish they serve as a complimentary service. I personally love this kind of steamed dish — the meat inside is soft, the shrimp is plump, and eaten together with the bean sprouts and mushrooms, it made a great appetizer. You can even order more of it, so I really had to hold myself back from ordering another round.

The staff grill every piece of meat for you

Doesn't the meat look so fresh? The pork fresh galbi here is seriously insanely good ㅠㅠ The meat itself is fresh, but you know grilling skill matters just as much, right?

They grill everything for you so it's so easy, and they grill it perfectly every time, so you never have to worry about whether it's undercooked or overcooked.

Like I mentioned, you can eat it with the perilla leaf paste, with lettuce and pickled radish, or dipped in salt — so many ways to enjoy it, good good.

Jangjak marinated galbi, with a fresh grill plate brought over

Since pork and beef need different grill plates, they swapped it out for us. Time for the charcoal marinated galbi mukbang, let's go~!

I really don't have to lift a finger — I just eat haha

It had been a while since I had sweet-marinated galbi loaded with juices, and it was so good. The meat was soft and moist enough that it went down after barely a few chews haha

Mul naengmyeon and jjagyechi to finish

Water naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), which you can't skip with marinated galbi, was thoroughly enjoyed too~~ At other places I usually have to add mustard or vinegar myself, but here the seasoning is already strong enough on its own, so it's delicious just as it is haha

You can't have beef without jjagyechi (fried rice with cheese in a hot pot), so we ordered that too — I really went all out that day, and the jjagyechi was seriously so good ㅠㅠ If you're having galbi, please make sure to order this too..! I demolished a whole bowl by myself haha

Is Jangjak Saenggalbi worth it for two people?

The two of us cleared everything thoroughly haha I've also been curious about the ttagwijjim (steamed pork cheek), so I'm planning to go back and try that next time!

It's decently priced for what you get, and above all, the staff service is great, the meat quality is good, and even the side dishes are delicious, so it's a place I keep coming back to! I've eaten here plenty of times with my own money too, so if you're looking for a good restaurant on Jongno in Daegu, I'd recommend checking out Jangjak Saenggalbi (formerly Byeokdol Saenggalbi) :)